Sports travel teams lead us astray

Spring is here, which for many young Long Island athletes and their families means a busy season of trips for travel teams. Is the investment of countless weekends and thousands of dollars worth it?

These elite teams include just about every sport. Over 75,000 Long Island athletes are travel team members, sources estimate. About 25,000 of those are soccer players, according to Long Island Business News.

These teams play outside of their immediate area, including trips to neighboring states, to spend weekends playing in high-stakes tournaments. Playing time is not guaranteed. For parents making the commitment to have their child play on a travel team they need to consider the financial and time costs, and the impact on the athlete.

Travel teams are expensive. The average cost to play on a Long Island travel baseball team ranges from $3,000 to $5,000, and on an elite national team the range is $8,000-$15,000, Beyond the Dugout reported in September. These costs include team fees, gas, flights, lodging and meals, equipment and year-round training. A parent of a 9-year-old playing on a travel team told me it costs him an average of $20,000 a year. This father travels with his family of four, saying he treats it "as a vacation for the family."

Clearly an economic divide is created since most athletes from low-income families can't meet such financial demands. This limits equal opportunity and access, while promoting a culture of privilege over talent — an outcome contrary to the purpose of youth sports.

When I coached baseball at W.T. Clarke Middle School in Westbury, I brought together a diverse roster of players representing different races, ethnicities and economic backgrounds. While winning or losing always matters, the more important values to my mind were tolerance and acceptance of each other. In contrast, travel team rosters are primarily driven by those that can afford to join.

Arguably, travel teams' value is exposure. College scouts can be in attendance, particularly during those weekend tournaments. So, the possibility of being recruited for a college team and even receiving a scholarship become added motivators. But the argument is a weak one.

According to the NCAA, about 7-8% of high school athletes go on to play at the college level. Only about 2% of high school athletes receive an athletic scholarship for college. That means 98% do not!

This reality is often ignored by some of those organizations. One website for a travel baseball team on Long Island states that its goal is to help take players to the next level, all the way to college baseball. Another website lists college players from Nassau County high schools that have come through its program. These gifted athletes might have achieved this level of success regardless of their travel team play. Elite players on high school teams are well scouted. If you are good, you will be noticed.

There are other drawbacks. For the athlete, early specialization, travel and long seasons are done at the expense of playing other sports or giving more attention to academics, while limiting their social activities. The year-round commitment to perform raises the risk of injury.

All of this adds up to a burden not worth the cost. Let's return to a balanced approach. Invest in local community leagues where equal access, full participation and having fun are valued outcomes, all for a reasonable fee. And where the intrinsic satisfaction of playing a sport can be realized.

This guest essay reflects the views of Philip S. Cicero, retired superintendent of Lynbrook Public Schools and a former high school and college baseball player.